


Cupid on Ice

by jyooliang



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Hockey and Figure Skating, Hockey, Humor, Ice Skating, M/M, Romance, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 03:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17593358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jyooliang/pseuds/jyooliang
Summary: Yukhei sees young figure skating coach Yuta executing a small, dreaming spin on ice and it's enough for the man to come visiting in his dreams. Around him, a supportive team and a coach born on Valentine's Day do their best to help.





	Cupid on Ice

 

 

 

Yukhei likes challenges a lot. He usually wins them, too, with the bare minimum effort.  
His family has long gotten used to frequent moving from city to city, leaving everything behind to start over again as nothing could break them: their bond, their hopes and ability to stay happy no matter where and with whom had always stayed unchanged. His father informed they would have moved to Seoul in late October, and in late December they landed, giving Yukhei less than two actual months to become familiar with a completely new language and subsequently getting admitted to a good private college for international students.

His first weeks went like nothing he hadn’t already faced quite often in the past: the whole having to adjust to a completely different environment, meeting new people and having to study twice as hard as his fellow students because of his late arrival and language insufficiency, yet Yukhei faced it with such radiance he rapidly became a hot topic among both scholars and teachers. He overcame his newest challenge as quickly as ever and two weeks into the beginning of his Korean journey, he decides to find himself a new, extremely challenging one:

Hockey.

Renjun, his roommate, raises a brow at the sight of Yukhei filling the form to be admitted in the local hockey team, “Have you at least ever skated before?”  
“How hard can it be?” Yukhei beams in response, “Besides–I know how to skate.”  
“On ice?”  
“...I’ll figure it out.”  
Renjun makes a face, rolling his eyes, and Yukhei thinks he is glad he hasn’t mentioned he actually only knows how to skateboard.  
“The team is already a mess,” his tiny roommate adds then, in a whiny tone, “we don’t need you to make it worse.”  
Yukhei’s positivity was evidentially getting on Renjun’s nerves, to the freshman’s unbeknownst, “Perhaps I’ll be good, how can we know?” in return, he receives another sigh of exasperation he naively ignores. “Besides, you guys seem to get along so well, I want to get in the team.”  
“I literally want to kill them all.”  
After reserving Renjun a knowing expression, Yukhei throws the pen on his bed and stretches his back in the middle of the room, staring at the now completely filled form with pride. Renjun takes a deep breath.

The hockey teams’ coaches, on the other end, welcome Yukhei with high spirit and with very few questions. It’s no surprise that -as soon as the boy finally receives his medical permission to take part in the team’s activities- it takes Yukhei fifteen minutes just to balance himself on ice without slipping like a whole Bambi.  
“I swear I got it.” he breathes in between his struggles, sweating like he’s just run a long marathon, and the entire team simply stares, “I’m fine, I got it.”  
“I told you it was a bad idea.” devastated, Renjun whines and beside him, team’s #6 can barely contain his laughter.  
“What are you talking about, it’s a very good idea.”  
“Shut up, Donghyuck.”  
Totally unaware of the mixture of looks of pity, worry, and amusement set upon him, the unstable Yukhei welcomes the help of their younger coach with a cute smile. He grabs Jaehyun’s hands right before he was about to lose his balance again and the rest of the practice flies in his company, skating around the rink with Jaehyun trying to teach him the basics and, pretty much, how not to fall.  
“I should have checked his abilities before taking him in, perhaps?” coach Johnny suggests to himself while watching the pair from his position, the rest of the team imitating him. Yukhei, towering Jaehyun, makes them both trip right then, “Yeah. Totally.”  
Renjun glares.

 

-

 

It takes Yukhei weeks of intense practice to become a decent skater and the amount of help and support received by his coaches and the team, he thinks, is overwhelming. Even the whining Renjun has never lost his chance to be there for him, teaching rules and game schemes until late at night, in the silence of their room, while team’s leader Mark and the rest of the boys contributed on ice. Yukhei adores them already and, to be fairly honest, he had spent his first days watching Renjun’s dynamics with them enough to wish he could, somehow, fit. They make it so easy for him, that struggling on the ice becomes a quickly won challenge and, much to the coaches’ surprise, having to take care of such an inexperienced new player happens to be a boost for the team’s spirit.

“I actually think your Korean is improving fast.” Jaemin says one day after practice, as Yukhei points out his ability on ice has improved faster than his language skills.  
“He sounds funny.” Donghyuck smiles and Mark side-eyes him, “What? It’s a nice thing! You just want to pinch his cheeks.” and, to support his point, Donghyuck tiptoes in order to reach Yukhei’s face and gently pinch his left cheek, making the boy giggle.  
“Donghyuck, leave the poor boy alone.” Jaehyun interrupts by the entering the locker room, smiling softly as Yukhei shakes his head and pulls Donghyuck into a hug immediately after.  
“What’s in the bag, hyung?” Jeno asks, shifting his gaze from the hugging pair to Jaehyun who, at the question, lifts said bag with an excited smile.  
“Valentine’s Day is on Sunday, remember? The Valentine’s Day slash my birthday party we’re giving at Lotte World?”  
“You were born on Valentine’s Day?” Yukhei asks, eyes now wide, “Wow, that’s so cool! I didn’t think it was possible.”  
From his position between the boy’s arms, Donghyuck makes a face, but before neither Renjun or he can say something Jaehyun hands the bag over to Mark and continues, “Johnny and I have the sports radio now. Could you take the invitations to the figure skating team? I totally forg–”  
“Sure we could.” Jaemin quickly says, taking the bag into his hands as Mark – as slow as a rock – seems to be processing, “Mark hyung loves to attend their practices.”  
“Shut up.” Mark hits him, leaving Jaehyun and a pretty lost Yukhei to blink.  
“Just be sure to be polite and.. take a shower, guys.”

Yukhei is still lost when, a few later, the freshly dressed team heads to the ice rink’s cafeteria.  
“You’ll finally meet Chenle and Jisung.” Jaemin tells him.  
“And we’re bringing them something to drink?” Yukhei rightfully asks, sipping on his cola, and it makes both Jaemin and Donghyuck burst into laughter. In a second the group is eying Mark who, once done with his order, blinks in confusion, “What?”  
“We’re bringing Mark hyung’s crush something to drink.” Jaemin corrects, and it makes Mark whine, “He’s not my crush, you idiots.”  
“Who?” Yukhei asks Jeno, as the remaining four engage into a silly fight that sees Mark - quite obviously - ending up being the loser.  
“Mark hyung has a little crush on one of the figure skating coaches.”  
“I do not!” Mark overhears and, highly offended, just slaps both Jaemin and Donghyuck’s arms another time.  
“He does. He brings him a cup of tea every time we visit.” Renjun supplies, making Yukhei fall into a long condescending sound that only makes Mark whine harder.  
“Yuta hyung is very nice to us,” he tries to justify himself, “and he always offers us cookies. I just want to be nice.”  
Yukhei sincerely remains pretty clueless, yet the desperate expression on Mark’s face is funny enough to convince him in joining the mocking and make it last until they reach back to the skating area. There, the boy’s attention shifts to the few figures in the middle of the large ice rink, which now appears to be clean and numb of all the colourful and cumbersome hockey equipment needed for their team’s practice. Yukhei counts five young boys, from his position on the stands, dressed in basic black clothes and spinning on their skates with such elegance he recognises – if not a single face because of his poor eyesight – that there is talent. Another person dressed in a bright blue and pink gym suit is leaning against the fence, scrutinising the boys carefully while holding a portfolio. Yukhei supposes he must be one of the coaches.  
“Is he–”  
“Yuta hyung!”  
Yukhei stops when Donghyuck shouts out excitedly and starts waving his arm at someone just getting out the hallway, wearing the same blue and pink gym suit, and entering the rink with an elegant jump. The boys quickly join Donghyuck and in a moment, they have all reached the lowest rampart, Yukhei following and blinking in confusion as everyone rushes to high-five the man except for Mark who -with his cup of tea in hands- is glaring at them all.  
“My sweet fans, you had me waiting.” Yuta welcomes them with a bright smile and from his position beside Mark, Yukhei is momentarily captured by the sight. He realises he is seeing this person for the first time and all he can get at first sight is: he looks pretty. “Taeyong’s fans are always too loud, they make me feel lonely.” That being said, Yuta points at a small section of the stands, where a group of girls is silently enjoying the practice holding colourful signboards with coach Taeyong’s photos and cheerful messages on them.  
Donghyuck makes a face and pulls Mark closer, stealing the cup of tea from his hands and handing it to Yuta with the most lovable expression. “We don’t have signboards, yet, but perhaps better.”  
As Yuta accepts his usual tea with a grateful smile, Mark frowns deeply and Yukhei notices, having to suffocate a laugh. The entire team starts giggling as secretly as possible, darkening Mark’s expression more, but as Yuta questions them with a brow raised Yukhei –towering all of them– steals his attention. “You’ve got a new friend?”  
Renjun then pulls an unprepared Yukhei to the front and it startles the taller boy. It gets worse when he directly meets a pair of huge eyes looking at him expectantly.  
“Wow,” Yukhei murmurs, really unprepared to the proximity, “You’re so pretty.”  
The team just bursts out laughing at that point, someone rolls his eyes, but Yuta simply melts into a smile and shyly closes in his shoulders, raising his cup in a thankful manner and skating back to the centre of the rink.  
“Congratulation, idiot.” Renjun pats Yukhei’s shoulder a few times, “That was more embarrassing than Mark’s first time.”  
“Can you stop?” Mark pouts before his expression suddenly turns betrayed and he slaps Donghyuck’s arm.  
“Ouch! What was that for?”  
Mark doesn’t answer, preferring to go taking his seat a few rows above, and Yukhei giggles at the whole scene before coming back to his senses and making a very displeased face. “What the hell is wrong with me?”  
The boys called it the ‘Yuta effect’ and Jaemin reassures him it was a sort of unavoidable initiation for everyone who met the charming coach for the first time. Yet, Yukhei still feels struck, thinking of the way looking into that man’s eyes had made his mind suddenly so bald. Mark, on the other hand, is still acting offended as the practice proceeds, occasionally mumbling about how he got the worst friends of all times. Yukhei can’t help initiating a hug at the sight, inevitably feeling sorry for his mocking now that the 'Yuta effect' did not spare him.  
“Wanna know what’s funny?” he asks his friend in English, kind of raising Mark’s mood just by that. When their eyes meet Yukhei can nothing but burst into an embarrassed laugh, “I’m so blind without glasses I didn’t even notice he was that cute. Like right now, I see nothing but black figures doing something on ice.”  
Mark gives up, finding Yukhei way too cute to keep on sulking, and hugs the boy back. Jeno smiles in their position, “You should bring them next time, it’s great to watch their practices.. the boys are amazing.”  
“And Jeno knows well.” Donghyuck adds, plopping his entire body on Jeno’s back to hug him from behind, “He’s an amazing figure skater.”  
“I’m really not...”  
Yukhei looks at Jeno in total amazement, “You can jump and stuff?”  
“I can’t–“  
“He can.” Donghyuck interrupts dreamingly, “And he looks fine fine when he does.”  
Yukhei never really considered himself an expert in reading people’s expressions, yet he is pretty sure -right now- Jeno is blushing. And Donghyuck knows, enjoying it quite a lot. He gets a confirmation at the look of tolerance Renjun sends the two, the way Jaemin knowingly raises funny eyebrows and Mark... just rolling his eyes.

At the end of the long, apparently exhausting practice session, Yuta skates back to bring the boys some cookies while Taeyong leaves to greet his excited fans, Jisung and Chenle away for a warm shower.  
Yukhei is gulping two cookies down shamelessly when Renjun demands him to step up and orders him to hand over the invitations for Jaehyun’s party. Like a deer in the headlights, all Yukhei can do is chew fast and blush, bursting into a little laugh with hands covering his mouth when he notices Yuta’s curious glance on him.  
“Leave him to eat.” the coach suggests gently, “He’s cute.”  
Renjun glares, though, and Yukhei tries to recompose himself under the weight of his eyes. He gives Yuta a sheepish smile before handing him the invitations and trying to fake a sudden nonchalant expression, “My name is Yukhei, by the way, I–Yeah, Jaehyun hyung’s.. birthday, on Sunday.”  
Yuta hums, accepting the small bag, “How could we forget. Tell Jaehyun we will definitely be there... Yukhei?”  
As Yukhei has suddenly forgotten how to speak and Yuta evidently struggles to pronounce Yukhei’s name right, the two fall into a small, sheepish laugh. Yukhei’s defensive instinct suggests him to cover his face, make a bow and run back to his position besides Mark to avoid further embarrassment.  
“Don’t you have plans already, hyung?” Donghyuck asks then, with a mischievous smirk, “No Valentine for you this year?”  
All pairs of eyes unintentionally set on Yuta expectantly, but all the man does is giving them a bright smile before moving to make a little, graceful spin on ice, “Perhaps I’ll find one there? How could I miss Jaehyunie’s birthday.”  
He leaves them with a dreamingly expression adorning his face and meets Taeyong halfway, skating out the rink with him waving the boys goodbye. When Jisung and Chenle come out the locker room, the former is the first one to speak, a brow raised as he sees Yukhei staring at nothing with his mouth gaped open.  
“New boy has seen a ghost?”  
“Nah,” Jaemin chuckles, “Just a little crush.”

 

-

 

On Saturday, the team faces its first game since Yukhei’s arrival and it does not quite go as predicted.  
For how inexperienced and unripe Yukhei’s game is, in fact, his height and unpredictable behaviour –well mixed with Jeno’s ace abilities and a decent game scheme Renjun had previously refined with his coaches– still lead the team to a tie. Quite surprised, both Jaehyun and Johnny -and Chenle and Jisung from the audience- wait to be reunited with the team in the locker room to throw a proper celebration that sees Yukhei as the protagonist. As his teammates and new friends manage to lift him and chant his name with excitement, Yukhei realises he could have never wished to find a better new adventure for himself. And that perhaps, choosing to play a game he never really heard of before had been one of his bravest, best-developed challenges. His enthusiasm grows uncontrollably and his competitiveness starts to come out, resulting in some kind of funny war cry promising the season to become one of their best.  
“Enough for today, guys. You did great.” a bright Johnny claps, yet demands everyone’s attention with his serious tone, “I want you to go home, eat well and rest a lot. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” Besides him, Jaehyun nods, deeply excited from the evident smile curving his lips and eyes, “Remember to dress nicely and bring your skates.”  
“We’ll skate?” Yukhei asks, unprepared, a little flash of terror in his eyes. Seeing his expression makes Renjun and Jaemin both laugh. They go tiptoes to hug him as they walk to the showers together. “Don’t worry, you’re a decent skater by now.” Jaemin singsongs.  
Sure Yukhei had just acted like the most resolute hockey player of all times but skating in front of hundreds of people? Probably falling in front of all of them and –as Renjun wittily makes him notice– in front of coach Yuta, too? He brushes off the uneasiness with a laugh, if anything because he can now well understand how Marks felt at their constant teasing about his crush for the man. He doesn’t think he actually has a crush for someone he has interacted with for merely five minutes but contrarily to Mark –who admits to truly just feel a deep sense of gratefulness for Yuta’s kindness– he couldn’t deny the possibility of liking the idea of Yuta noticing him, for whatever reason. Except for another dumb Yukhei exhibition, perhaps.  
When Mark and Donghyuck leave for the showers too, hitting each other with their towels for no reason whatsoever, Jaehyun catches Jeno watching the pair while silently staying behind and calls him back with a soft voice. “Do you think you could be our official photographer, tomorrow?” he asks the boy in a supportive manner, Johnny nodding beside him.  
“I’ll be busy with the DJ station and Jaehyun, well. He’s the not so secret star of the party.” The man giggles at that, exchanging a funny look with his co-worker.  
Jeno simply nods at the request and hesitates for a moment before adding, “But it’s still Valentine’s Day party, right? With people dating and everything...”  
The question has Jaehyun giving him a knowing smile, “The sports complex would have never funded my birthday party so yes, it’s still a Valentine’s Day event. Why, want to invite someone?” The coaches immediately see Jeno panicking, shaking his head vehemently and stuttering intelligible words while giving them an embarrassed smile, “I was just asking–I’ll come with the boys.” He slips away from the men’s scrutiny before combusting in clear uneasiness and the two watch him with brotherly affection, Jaehyun sighing in real distress, “We should do something for him.”  
“Yeah.” Johnny pats Jaehyun’s shoulder, “But we’re no Cupid, remember? We talked about this.”  
Jaehyun side-eyes him with an offended pout that forces Johnny to pinch his closest cheek, before walking both of them out the locker room to grab dinner, “Don’t give me that look, Valentine boy.” This time, he earns a little push from his younger friend.  
Jaehyun spends the rest of the day thinking he still has the duty to be Jeno’s Cupid, on that special February 14th, and doesn’t let go of the idea once.

 

-

 

The upcoming day, Yukhei spends a lovely Sunday morning with his parents, finally getting to see them again after too much work had kept them away from him. Strolling around the cold yet sunny riverside in the centre of Seoul, with hot chocolate in hands and an incredible amount of stories to tell, the boy informs his enthusiastic parents about his positive experience in the new country, about his team, about hockey and how much he unexpectedly found himself to enjoy the feeling of belonging to something in such a short amount of time. And because the little family is formed of three incurable romantics, before lunch they all gift each other with some chocolate to celebrate their bond and the love they share, erasing the purely romantic sense of the festivity as they got used to since Yukhei’s birth.  
When Yukhei comes back to his room, later that afternoon, he has a full belly and chocolate enough to share with the team and still risk a stomach ache.  
Renjun and him are deciding what to wear for Jaehyun’s party when the former finds his taller friend staring at the chocolate, hands on his hips and a thoughtful expression on his face.  
“What? Are you deciding what order to devour the poor chocolate?”  
Yukhei turns to face him wearing the look of a kicked puppy. “I was thinking.. what if I wrap some for Yuta hyung?”  
His tiny roommate makes a face, a deeply surprised one, before bursting into a loud laugh. Offended, Yukhei crosses his arms.  
“Sorry,” Renjun breathes, “it’s just–you’re suddenly so brave. Let me remind you who has been denying his crush until yesterday.”  
“Shut up...”  
Yukhei plops his weight on his bed with such a pensive expression Renjun fears his brain could explode any moment and, moved by a strange empathy, he walks to pat Yukhei’s head and pull him up again.  
“The chocolate is not a good idea.” he says, “Yuta hyung cares about his shape a lot and would probably never eat it. You’ve never seen him getting angry at the boys for being too ‘heavy to jump properly’.”  
“Oh.” Renjun’s words actually make sense. Yukhei realises he has truly never seen Yuta getting angry –he has never seen Yuta doing much if not smiling and spinning on ice, to be fairly honest– but he has seen Jisung and Chenle following a very strict diet, and understands the demands of such a difficult sport like figure skating. He looks down at his full belly right then, feeling a strange sense of guilt making his stomach grumble. Should he behave, too? He was fit, sure, but moving on ice still didn’t feel the most natural thing to him.  
“Invite him to skate, simple as that.” Renjun speaks up again once he notices how Yukhei was looking down with flashes of panic in his eyes, “And do it fast, idiot, you really think you’ll be the only one trying to grab his attention?”  
“What if he finds me fat?” Yukhei voices his thoughts, filled with pure guilt. Renjun glares.  
“Just hurry up, for God’s sake.”

By the time the team has reached the location of the huge party, Yukhei’s confidence is in shambles. The six of them are all nicely styled and to say Yukhei had put particular care in dressing up, would be a euphemism. Yet, as soon as his ‘intentions’ –if that was even the proper term– with Yuta came to light, the boys offered much more options for the older man to refuse him than a silly 'what if he finds me fat'. Donghyuk considered the age difference that, for how passable, was still considerable; Mark considered Yukhei and Yuta barely knew each other and Yuta was known to be a far more complex person than he appeared, them knowing very little of the man themselves, if not that his career shattered years before and no one really knew the story. Jaemin, last but not least, finished that if he ever somehow bothered Yuta, Johnny would have probably kicked him to the moon. Yukhei never considered any of those and admittedly, he had never really thought about approaching the older man in the first place: he just felt incredibly fond of Yuta’s smile, for some reasons, and would have liked to see it again, possibly as the cause behind it.  
The beauty of the location manages to distract Yukhei enough to push such thoughts momentarily aside, focusing on the huge Lotte World indoor ice skating rink all perfectly decorated to match the Valentine’s Day feel. He lets out a little smile because they are well aware of how wittily Jaehyun had raised funds for the party, both for his inborn desire to spread love and because most of the people attending would be usual customers and employees of their sports complex, and that meant him getting lots of gifts. The first fools actually being the boys themselves, as they gift the giggling man with a copy of Frank Ocean’s latest album.  
“Go serve yourselves.” Jaehyun invites after having hugged his kids one by one and affectionately patted their heads in between. The words make Yukhei’s attention shift to the vast table filled with all kind of food running through the right side of the rink, and it brings back flashbacks of his previous crisis. At least before he finds mini hot-dogs and, newly excited, rushes to fill his plate up.  
“I love chocolate fountains.” he hears Jaemin say then, following his friend’s sight and widening his eyes as he spots an entire section of chocolate fountains –one for each type of chocolate– triumphantly rising among heart-shaped red balloons and long glittering ribbons falling from the roof.  
“Wow,” Renjun blinks, “and hyung said this wasn’t a real Valentine’s Day party.”  
“Everything is so corny.” Donghyuck supports, feeling that inevitable teenager uneasiness running down his spine at the sight of all the red, the glitters and the hearts. And pretty much everything in the venue.  
“Well.” Mark awkwardly points to the crowd joyfully skating inside the rink and, as the boys notice, most of them are actually couples smiling bashfully and holding hands while trying not to slip.  
“We’re boo boo the fools.” Donghyuck shrugs, Jaemin following suit, “Time to eat.”  
Yukhei and Jeno are the only ones actually looking around in total awe, feeling the atmosphere of the party making their stomachs tickle in strange, bitter anticipation.  
“Jeno.” The voice of Jaehyun the betrayer interrupts the general devouring and turns few pairs of eyes to glare without a word. Untouched, Jaehyun smiles brightly and hands Jeno a small professional camera, one of Johnny’s treasures. The boy hums immediately, returning the smile, “Let me handle this, hyung, enjoy your party.”  
“Enjoy your party.” under his breath, Renjun mocks him and rolls his eyes, shoving a whole mini hot-dog in his mouth and making Jaemin and Donghyuk hide their laughter. Jeno stays equally unbothered. In all honesty, he feels excited he has been given such an important duty for a party that -as Johnny had previously pointed out- would have been a respectable advertising campaign for the sports complex all through the year. He carefully manages the camera in his hands for a while, checking the options and regulating the zoom focusing on his teammates’ faces. He tenses when the camera finds Donghyuck sipping on his drink with a cute, sulky expression puffing his cheeks. Instinctively, Jeno takes a photo. As soon as he checks the content in the camera roll, he finds himself smiling a sheepish smile, unable to hold back.  
“You’re not eating?” he hears, raising an unprepared glance to Donghyuck who -in that short moment- has walked closer and is now offering him some fried chicken. He once again can’t help a smile, possibly even timider as Donghyuck urges him to eat and smiles happily when he does. “Let’s go, Mr. photographer, I’ll feed you.”  
“You really don’t have to...”  
“Just go.” Jaemin impatiently says from his position, sending his best friend a deathly glare that admits no debate.  
Yukhei is following the scene cluelessly as he has long gotten used to, chewing on his fourth mini-hamburger out of silent desperation when he sees two very annoyed Chenle and Jisung walking to them. He starts waving excitedly like a big baby in return.  
“Taeyong hyung has got to be the slowest freaking driver on this planet.” Jisung complains immediately, still giving Yukhei his anticipated high-five. Chenle follows, sighing, “He’s a boring old man. I think even Yuta hyung wanted to kill him at one point.”  
Yukhei –a handful of fries just shoved inside his mouth– tenses at the name and his knowing friends do as well, all turning to look at him. He silently chews on his food with a failed attempt of nonchalance to which Chenle answers with a smirk, “I warn you, they always stick together.”  
Jisung nods, “They have this-best friends code of sticking together if someone shows up to bother so–”  
“So, if Taeyong hyung doesn’t leave, well.”  
Chenle and Jisung exchange a look and a shrug, leaving the rest to Yukhei’s imagination. The boy’s face falls into an evident state of displeasure and both Jaemin and Renjun hide behind their food to laugh, Mark tentatively patting Yukhei’s back. Needless to say, Yukhei leaves to find Yuta with his expectations being non-existent. He can already foresee the two older men exchanging casual best friend looks and finding some excuse to leave. Like his teammates’ concerns a few earlier hadn’t made him feel –for the very first time in his life, probably– incredibly small already. Yuta and Taeyong are chattering with their eyes fixed on the rink when Yukhei finds them enjoying their talk and the glasses in their hands calmly. Taeyong is the first one to see him, ad he raises his hand so quickly it leads Yuta to notice the newcomer as well. The latter offers a surprised smile and Yukhei returns it vividly, walking closer.  
“Yukhei.” it’s Yuta’s welcoming greeting digging a hole to shine a light in Yukhei’s hopeless mind. Yet, the younger feels time stopping when the two friends actually really exchange a small look, and it makes him feels like he is just waiting for Taeyong to make whatever up to save Yuta from the big, silly kid trying to approach him. So he freezes, holding up a stupid smile. Much to his shock, though, all Taeyong does is offer an amused smile before raising his almost completely full glass, “I’ll go-getting something else to drink, I guess.”  
He walks away with a giggle and Yukhei’s brain fails to reboot. All he sees is Yuta, walking a little bit closer in all his grace, a bright smile on his lips; the usual blue and pink gym suit has been replaced by dark pants and a soft pastel pink sweater, a black coat keeping him warm in the chill place.  
“You’ll have to teach me how to pronounce your name properly, at one point.” the man says, looking at Yukhei with a tenderness that tells him Yuta could probably sense his uneasiness. And it’s not that Yukhei is not happy at the turn of events, or doesn’t appreciate Yuta’s sweet manners. It’s just that he really has to fight his entire self not to once again open up with a stupid 'You’re so beautiful'.  
“It’s just fine.” he says instead, feeling warm in his chest as he can sense Yuta’s attention being completely set on him, “My mother calls me Xuxi, that’s one of my names too... I kind of like it better, you know? It sounds like–”  
“Sushi.” Yuta lets out a breathy laugh and Yukhei nods, somehow proud of the pun. He has always been proud of it and comes to like it even more now that it has managed to make Yuta smile brightly in front of his eyes. “I guess I’ll call you that, then. Do they serve actual sushi here?”  
Yukhei doesn’t know, he hasn’t really paid attention to anything that wasn’t tiny versions of junk food. Right as he walks past the huge buffet with Yuta, he can’t help giggling at the thoughts that afflicted him earlier that evening. They stop when the older man finally finds some sushi, Yukhei leading both to a quiet spot to eat peacefully and possibly avoid the big crowd surrounding the foodservice. When Yuta offers him a bite, Yukhei gently refuses and theatrically pats his stomach. “I need to keep in shape. Ice skating is... hard.”  
Yuta gives him a funny look, well remembering how he had seen the younger devouring his cookies on the first day. “Don’t starve yourself. Sushi is healthy, a lot better than most things they’re serving tonight.” Yukhei’s conscience slaps him hard at that, so he mentally notes to self he is an idiot who cannot lie and is now laughing stupidly in front of the older who -with huge eyes- is studying his reaction.  
“Sorry I just–I really like hamburgers. And hot dogs.” he gives half a lie, setting his hopeful gaze in the one now mirroring him. With a softened smile, Yuta nods, “Not much of a surprise. Perhaps that’s how you grew so tall.”  
“But my height makes me goofy on ice. I feel like-I could fall down and break it anytime.”  
They share a laugh and if there is something Yukhei can’t help to notice in the other’s attitude, it is the way Yuta never moves his lively eyes from him: it felt like the older was both studying every small detail of Yukhei’s personality and silently inviting him to let go at the same time, with no fears. In the expectant tenderness of Yuta’s smile, there was like a soft request to fall for his charm, accept to be blinded by his bright laugh like there was nothing to be ashamed of, even if it made Yukhei’s mind numb. Yukhei was not much of an intellectual, and he could not find any respectable comparison to express what looking at Yuta felt like, but he could honestly tell Yuta looked like the sweetest trap to fall into, and Yukhei never felt so beautifully trapped.  
“Would you show me what you’ve learned so far?” Yuta offers then, with a playful look, “If you manage not to fall tonight, I’ll train you.”  
Yukhei blinks twice before he actually gets to give a proper response. Actually -for some reasons- a shiver of pure terror had run down his spine, “You’ll train me?”  
The man nods, his empty plate now in the garbage and his long coat sliding down his shoulders. “If you want, of course.”  
In the span of two seconds and with a gummy smile on his lips, Yukhei considers: getting trained by the same severe coach Jisung and Chenle respected so much, or losing the chance to spend some time with Yuta who, by the way, was looking prettier than anything he had ever seen, with that soft pink sweater and big eyes looking at him expectantly?  
“I would be honoured.”

Jaehyun’s not-so-subtle birthday party proceeds successfully, despite the undeniable kind of racy atmosphere the majority of the people fall into at one point. Not that the young birthday-man cares. He simply makes sure people kept in mind that no PDA would be tolerated and that smiling throughout the evening would have been highly appreciated. After the initial awkward feelings, the hockey team eventually gives up to the good food and the possibility of skating all together, for once, as Jisung and Chenle’s intensive, professional practices usually made hard to. Jeno makes sure to capture as many moments he can, walking around the huge venue with Donghyuck still following him in a big, lively mood.  
“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” he asks after taking another photo of their noisy friends on the ice and beside him, Donghyuck shakes his head. “I told you I’m not leaving you doing this boring job alone.”  
“It’s fine for me, really.”  
Jeno turns to him softly but the other gives him an inquiring look, “Am I bothering you?”  
Donghyuck knows there was no chance. He knows Jeno well and likes his excessively selfless personality as much as it makes him want to punch him, but he still asks. The way Jeno panics -vehemently shaking his head and softly whispering “No, it’s not that.”- makes him melt into a little, patient smile. “Then shut up.”  
Jeno obeys immediately, looking down at the camera in his hands with that relentless sense of guilt still making his stomach twist. When he raises the object again, he is more than anything trying to fight it, to enjoy the moment Donghyuck has decided to share with him. “Pose for me.” He says, making Donghyuck falter as he notices the camera set on him. The boy smiles -taken aback- but hides his face behind his palms. “You should focus on the party.”  
“The party can wait.” Jeno insists, reaching out to break Donghyuck’s shield gently, “Smile, Donghyuckie.”  
Donghyuck can’t seem to fight any longer, Jeno’s soft voice and manners making his silent adoration for the boy take over. He smiles as Jeno wants, not really striking one of his usual funny poses but truly just smiling, because the person in front of him just knew how to make him happy. When Jeno checks the shot, his eye-smile reaches a new peak of enthusiasm and Donghyuck moves to see, hiding his face in the shape of the other’s deltoid. “This will probably be my favourite.” Jeno confesses.  
“Did you take other photos of me?” genuinely surprised, Donghyuk sets his eyes on the other’s side profile and can’t miss the way Jeno bites his lower lip. “Why...”  
To Jeno, it sounds like a now or never chances he is being given. It takes him all the courage stored up into his chest and abdomen to simply tilt his head softly to the side, meet Donghyuck there, and cling on his arm with huge eyes questioning him so expectantly it steals his breath away. “Because you’re beautiful.”  
For once his voice is emotive more than simply shy, so full of emotions it manages to speak louder than years of small, probably way too fearful attempts to convey his feelings for his teammate. He senses Donghyuck melting against him, seeking for a wordless hug he immediately wraps the other eagerly into. For what it feels like an eternity, they just stay there, in the warmth of that shared, tiny piece of the world that suddenly feels like the cosiest place ever.  
From his position beside DJ Johnny’s station, on the upper row of the venue, Jaehyun smiles triumphantly at the scene. His co-worker is forced to admit defeat with a sigh.  
“How did you do it?” Taeyong inquires beside him, looking at Jaehyun like he could momentarily really be the personification of Cupid, and Jaehyun giggles.  
“I just asked Donghyuck to keep Jeno some company, tonight. He knew. I think he always knew.”  
Johnny and Taeyong consider, leaving the hugging pair in the crowd some privacy with a light feeling in both their chests, even if Taeyong formally only knew about Jeno’s secular crush for Donghyuck thanks to Jisung and Chenle’s love for gossip.  
“Let’s see if you can do something for them, too, Valentine boy.” Taeyong grins as he spots Yuta and a very unstable Yukhei skating together in the rink, lively expressions brightening both their faces in such a visible way they seemed to shine in the huge crowd. Evidently enough, they were having fun.  
Johnny leans over to have a better look as he spots them, surprised, “What the-?”  
Taeyong goes back to his fourth glass of champagne with amusement still making him giggle, looking up at Jaehyun as he has thrown his bet. Jaehyun’s determination flashes in his eyes at the sight of the pair, and Johnny sighs.  
“Here we go again.”

Yukhei has never felt so clumsy his entire life. He had previously seen very few of Yuta’s abilities on ice -barely a few spins and his overall gracious movements- but the man’s agility as he teases a very unstable Yukhei trying to follow gives Yukhei a better overview of what Yuta was capable of. The younger boy simply tries to skate among the crowd, avoiding people he would have probably made fall down, while Yuta seems to know where to move without even looking and keeps his eyes on Yukhei, a smile curving them all through their skating challenge. He was having fun and kind of enjoying Yukhei’s frustrated expression: watching him so close Yuta could also help when needed, skilfully rescuing the boy when he seemed to need it.  
“It’s unfair.” Yukhei says as he clings to Yuta’s shoulders to try balance himself after a little slip, “I did a lot better, yesterday.”  
Yuta holds him steady in place with unexpected strength, then gives up to a giggle, “Do I make you nervous?”  
“Yeah,” Yukhei shamelessly admits, “You really do.”  
Yuta’s playful smile doesn’t falter but it softens a lot, perhaps unused to such devastating cuteness and honesty perfectly mixed in what looked like the most charming young man he had ever laid his eyes on. “Why?” he demands, raising his arms to find Yukhei’s huge hands on his shoulders and hold them into his own, to guide them both on ice. Trusting Yuta’s senses completely, Yukhei lets go, enjoying the new position as his eyes can focus on nothing but Yuta’s close face. He giggles because he really doesn’t know what to say. Was it because he heard stories of Yuta’s career as a figure skater, or because Jisung and Chenle’s respect for him meant he was a demanding coach? Or was it simply because the man fascinated him and Yukhei did not know how to handle it?  
Eventually, he once again opts for half a truth. “I am not an expert, but you seem to be so good. And... you’re so pretty, I don’t know what to do.”  
He doesn’t know what to expect, mainly because he has long gotten used to his honesty being unwelcomed even when soaked with innocence, but the smile Yuta gives him manage to erase every worry. It feels like a safe zone, like Yuta is deeply looking into his eyes not to scrutinise Yukhei’s intentions, but instead to invite the boy to be himself. He seems to somehow trust Yukhei enough already, and it makes them both feel safe around each other. “What would you do, if you knew?”  
The question finds Yukhei unprepared enough to let out a breathy, shy laugh. He doesn’t know if it’s because Yuta is making them both softly move on the ice -skilfully dancing in large circles with such grace Yukhei doesn’t even have to try anymore- or because he feels so enchanted by this soft looking person to be emptied of any consistent thought: he just knows he feels like floating. “I would-probably tell you until you get tired of hearing it.”  
He smiles a big, sheepish smile and locks eyes with the older as he finds the courage. “I wouldn’t.”  
There is no glimpse of vanity in those words. Yuta seems to be thanking him instead, with his bright smile back in its place and shoulders involuntary raising like he was trying to suppress a bashful need to shield himself. Yukhei takes notes, relieved, and for the first since he met the other, he feels like he has managed to do something beautiful.

Cupid Jaehyun considers his Valentine’s Day slash birthday party to be, overall, a huge success. Johnny has his advertising campaign secured, his boys have eaten well and enjoyed the night skating together –something that has been obvious from the loud echo of Chenle’s bright, unstoppable laugh– and Jeno has somehow managed to move a step forward a gloating Donghyuck who, later that night, sends Jaehyun a secret smile. Jaehyun is enjoying his seven-layers-ultra-chocolate birthday cake in total marvel when he meets Taeyong’s eyes from afar and remembers about their challenge: his Cupid duties still hadn’t come to an end. Taeyong -out of care for his best friend but for his challenge with Jaehyun mainly- has been trying to get some information about Yuta’s thoughts on the sweet Yukhei since they have reunited, receiving nothing but “Mind your business, Lee Taeyong.”, although with a smile that spoke for itself. Yukhei has gotten equally teased by his friends, once reunited to join the team for their celebratory photos, and the jokes are still long from gone when Taeyong and Jaehyun’s minds connect in perfect synchrony and the latter pulls his friend along to reach the hockey team. Yuta is eyeing the cakes with a deeply displeased expression when Yukhei –munching happily on his second slice– notices him, his faces dropping.  
“Oh no.” Jisung’s whiny voice breaks in as soon as he sees Taeyong, Chenle following suit with a roll of eyes. “We have to go, you know. If we leave now we’ll probably be home by dawn.”  
Taeyong blinks at his kids in such an offended way everybody but the pair burst into laughter, forced to face his unfortunate fame as a driver with a childish pout. Jaehyun distracts him with a supportive squeeze on his shoulder, kind of reminding him of their secret mission, but Yuta’s voice addressing Yukhei with tenderness takes them by surprise.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow, 3 PM?”  
Yukhei smiles widely and raises his thumbs-up, unaware of the evident curiosity in the gazes fixed on them. “I won’t let you wait.”  
Jaehyun carefully studies the short exchange of words and glances between the two with his infallible sixth sense and locks eyes with an equally surprised Taeyong, offering a grin.  
Maybe, his help was still not needed.

Yukhei wakes up relatively early, the upcoming morning, stomach feeling like a rock. His behaviour with food the day before had been shameless and he is now paying the consequences for it, trying to feel better by drinking lukewarm water and leaving for a long run before classes. He spends the following hours dozing off with his eyes wide open during lectures, mind wondering if the sole thought of Yuta was worsening his stomach conditions without him knowing how to control it. It was frustrating in a way that finds him unprepared. His father has always told him had fallen in love with his mother at first sight, in a foreign country and with absolutely nothing in his hands assuring of a future with her, yet they fell in love like it was the easiest thing ever. Yukhei never considered such a possibility for himself, knowing he was young and his emotions still not mature enough for such expectations, yet the heavy feeling in his chest was not letting go and it wasn’t bad digestion. He knows that. The soft sense of admiration for a stranger’s smile and the way Yuta took care of him the night before had turned his childish feelings into affection, and now he can’t help smiling at the thought of Yuta, his manners, the sound of his voice as he gently invited him to move closer. In a matter of hours, Yukhei had gone from stupidly expecting Yuta to decline his attention to wish they could never stop dancing on ice.  
Filled with a multitude of thoughts he doesn’t know how to order, Yukhei keeps his lunch light and goes for another short run before changing to reach the sports complex for his personal practice. He tells himself to keep his expectations low and work hard instead, focusing on what he knew Yuta truly cared about and leaving everything else to chances, just like the previous evening.  
When he reaches the ice rink, he finds Yuta already practicing by himself. It’s not until he walks closer, though, that he can finally see the elegant movements the man is executing on ice, looking like he was moving to an unheard symphony. Yukhei sincerely wishes not to interrupt but Yuta notices him after a series of jumps, and skates towards him with a sheepish smile, “How long have you been there?”  
“Unfortunately, not much.” Yukhei honestly replies, meeting the other halfway. He enjoys the tenderness in Yuta's reaction to his words.  
“Did you warm up?” the man demands once he manages to stop smiling, placing hands on his hips in a way that now makes Yukhei foresee trouble. He nods and his teacher hums, then Yuta starts studying Yukhei’s figure while moving in circles around him and that, needless to say, makes the boy bashful. He can’t help but elusively return the gaze, noticing a series of details in Yuta’s appearance through his plain black turtleneck and pants he was never able to notice before. For instance, how delicate yet well build his body was, his refined shoulders, his strong arms and legs muscles, a narrow waist making him look particularly graceful and slender. A body-type made to mesmerise.  
“Hockey doesn’t need to be elegant but sharp, agile.” Yuta stops his train of thought with a thoughtful tone, skating light-headedly in front of the younger, “But first, you need to gain confidence in your skating abilities.”  
The coach spends the following two hours making Yukhei execute all kinds of useful exercises, from fast skating and relative fast braking, balancing, body positions and reverse skating, all resulting in Yukhei falling more than he has ever done since his enrolment in the team. Eventually exhausted, Yukhei puts some ice on his knees and elbows but still smiles when -at the end of his practice- Yuta fleshes an apologetic smile and hands him a warm cup of tea. Needless to say, he fears the coach a little bit more now that he has personally experienced his austerity as a tutor.  
“I’m sorry I went hard on you.” Yuta takes a sit beside him, almost as he could read his mind. The younger boy opens up into a small smile, shaking his head, “I’m fine, hyung. I really am.” Thoughtful, Yuta orders him to drink so he can take care of the ice bags on Yukhei’s body himself. “We won’t have much time to train together. I want you to learn as much as you can.”  
“And I’m grateful.” Yukhei says, sincere, wanting to reassure the older, “I care about hockey more than I ever thought I could. The team made me feel like I belong to something and... I want to fight for them, I always did. Even if it meant to start from scratches.”  
As someone who, years before, had flown to a foreign country with dust in his hands, Yuta understands. “You never played before, did you?” Yukhei laughs. “Never watched a match, either. Sometimes I’d go skating in the mall with my friends in Beijing, but-I was a terrible skater.” looking up bashfully, he adds, “I think I still am.”  
“You grew better faster than most people would.” Yuta reassures. He can't help feeling so unexplainably fond of this young man he now can’t help gently pinching his cheek. It makes Yukhei giggle, both the touch and the kind words. “When you start something, you have to put your everything into it, right?”  
The coach couldn’t agree more, and it softens him that such mature and responsible resolution is coming from someone so young, so cute, but with so much more held within. “Do you have any dreams?” he can’t help to ask then, and Yukhei takes a long moment to answer. His gaze gets lost in the distance as he contemplates the right words to express himself. “I don’t... think I have a dream. Having a dream seems to automatically mean you have to work so hard for just one goal that in the end, it becomes a duty. You lose sleep, you don’t have time for your loved ones anymore.” He thinks about his parents and how hard he always saw them working, of all the birthdays and holidays they missed since their company advanced in the market, and his expression softens in a nostalgic way, “My parents work really hard and I’m proud of them, I really am, but... sometimes I wish they could just be my parents. That their dreams didn’t have to feel so burdensome.”  
Yukhei doesn’t realise it at the moment -fully immersed in his little confession- but his words hit Yuta to the depth. The man finds himself naturally leaving supportive touches on his back but inside, the truthfulness of Yukhei’s emotions forces him to relive the hardest moments of his life. He tries to shut everything down, focusing on his desire to listen and support the younger instead. “Dreams do shatter you. Even if they come true, it’s just a moment. You have to always start over again because that moment is never enough.”  
“Or, you have to find yourself a new dream.” Yukhei suggests, “This is why I don’t want to have just one goal. I don’t know if it’s positive but–I want to challenge myself instead, always; meet new people, listen to their stories and put a smile on their faces. I want to go to sleep every night knowing I have not only done something for myself but for others, too.  
I know you can’t live of smiles, but... it would be beautiful if we all could.”  
The boy lets his bright, positive energy beam with no expectation and just a sincere bluntness, yet the smile he finds on Yuta’s face has the shape of such sweet admiration he becomes shy, feeling the urge to gently hold the man’s hands in his own.  
“You’re a sweetheart.” Yuta says softly, looking down at their hands and accepting the touch with no hesitation.  
“You have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.” Yukhei returns, once again so blatantly honest the older feels the need to shelter himself, even though he knows there is no reason to hide from Yukhei anymore.  
“Will you make me smile, like the people in your dreams?”  
“I will.” Yukhei promises, evidently strong-willed, “I will listen to your story, too, if you ever want to share.”  
To Yuta, it means a lot. It doesn’t matter that he doesn't know much of this boy if not his name and the colours Yukhe is sharing with him, it is enough for Yuta to want him closer. When a bitter smile slips out from his lips, he holds Yukhei’s hands a little bit tighter, “My story is not the happiest one.”  
“But it made you who you are and I-" he stops, blushing, "I think you’re beautiful.”  
This time, Yukhei means something more. He has felt Yuta’s beauty doing things to his mind even when it nothing more than pure enchantment radiating from a gracious stranger, but he now means something more because he knows there is more. He firmly believes such a pure smile can only hide an equally pure heart, too.  
Yuta gives up to his entire face warming up but doesn’t miss the chance to hold Yukhei’s gaze,  
“I’m glad I met you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I really want to thank everyone who has read the story until now (and perhaps enjoyed it too!) but I also want to apologise as I won't be able to upload part two until earlier next week for personal schedules,, I got inspired to set the plot in the hockey/figure skating universe just by seeing a photo of Yuta wearing glittery clothes but I wanted to write something more romantic and introspective than just having the story revolving around the sports itself -especially since I'm not an expert on the matter- and I hope it still managed to catch your attention. Lastly, I hope the characterisations managed to convey my love for these boys and the pairings I adore. Let's wait for part two while streaming NCT and Wayv's music everyone!  
> ♡ Thank you ♡


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